Swimming For Laughs

Writer Calls Stories From Swimmers Of All Ages And Backgrounds To Show The Fun Side Of The Sport.

April 19, 1998|By KATHLEEN KERNICKY Staff Writer

Norman Bower was a freshman at the University of Notre Dame when Brother Lou informed his all-male gym class that they would be taking a swim test in ``the classic Greek athletic style.'' In other words, in the nude. In a cruel twist of fate, Bower was asked to demonstrate his skillful backstroke in front of 200 other ``good Catholic boys'' who were busy averting their eyes.

While the story may be funny now, ``it felt nothing short of surreal,'' Bower writes in Swimming Just for Laughs (ISHOF Publishing, $9.95), the book he published in November after spending two years compiling stories from swimmers of all ages and backgrounds. ``That was the seed for the whole book,'' Bower says, recalling ``the quickest 50 yards of backstroke'' he had ever swum, about 27 years ago at Notre Dame. ``I told that story so many times . . . and I thought, why not a book about all of the funny swimming stories out there?'

Swimming, a sport known for 5 a.m. workouts, discipline and the stench of chlorine . . . funny?

``People tend to think of swimming as a very serious sport,'' explains Bower, 44, from his office in Davenport, Iowa, where he is a public relations writer for the Palmer College of Chiropratic. ``The whole premise was to let people know that swimming can be a lot of fun.''

Indeed, Swimming Just For Laughs is 116 pages filled with the sometimes amusing, always fun-spirited anecdotes that Bower found at pools and locker rooms around the country.

Bower interviewed dozens of people, including former Olympians such as John Naber and Rowdy Gaines, and Marge Counsilman, the wife of legendary college swim coach Doc Counsilman.

Traveling across the Midwest _ he also spent a weekend interviewing swimmers at the International Swimming Hall of Fame in Fort Lauderdale _ Bower culled stories from kids, moms and dads, college swimmers, life guards ( ``the sexiest stories'') and coaches (``more stories and funnier stories''), even coaches' wives.

``I would literally stop people in the locker room or poolside and say, `I'm doing this project.' I started handing out form letters so they could respond in writing.''

While not everyone did _ he never heard from Olympic gold medalists Mark Spitz and Greg Louganis _ many ``thought it was a great idea.''

To order a copy of Swimming Just for Laughs, call 954-462-6536 or drop by the gift shop at the International Swimming Hall of Fame, 1 Hall of Fame Drive, Fort Lauderdale Beach. The price is $9.95 plus $4 for shipping and handling.